Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Braising short ribs in red wine gives them deep, dark color and flavor, and fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Customize your own braised short ribs with the Recipe Maker

Ingredients

4-1/2 to 5 lb. English-style beef short ribs (8 to 12 ribs)

3 Tbs. vegetable oil

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

2/3 cup medium-diced carrots

2/3 cup medium-diced celery

2/3 cup medium-diced onions

2 whole dried bay leaves

1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic

2 cups dry red wine

3/4 cup lower-salt beef broth

1 to 2 tsp. red-wine vinegar

Nutritional Information

Calories (kcal) : 450

Fat Calories (kcal): 220

Fat (g): 25

Saturated Fat (g): 8

Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 3.5

Monounsaturated Fat (g): 11

Cholesterol (mg): 80

Sodium (mg): 570

Carbohydrates (g): 7

Fiber (g): 1

Protein (g): 35

Preparation

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Season the ribs with 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Add half of the ribs to the pot (or as many as will fit without overlap), and cook, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the ribs to a platter and repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil, carrots, celery, and onions to the pan. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the aromatics are soft and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add bay leaves and garlic and cook, stirring, until well distributed and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour 1/2 cup of the red wine into the pot and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until the liquid is reduced to about 2 Tbs., about 1 minute.

Transfer all the ribs (and any juices that have accumulated) back into the pot. Pour 1-3/4 cups water, the beef broth, and the remaining red wine over the ribs and using tongs, arrange the ribs as evenly as possible and no more than two layers deep.

Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover, and put the pot in the oven. Cook, turning the ribs with tongs about every 40 minutes, until they are fork tender, about 2-3/4 hours. (The meat may fall off most of the bones about midway through cooking; this does not mean that the ribs are fully tender.)

Transfer the ribs to a serving platter or dish. Let the sauce and solids sit in the pot for a few minutes to cool and with a shallow spoon, skim off as much of the fat as possible from the surface. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and add the vinegar.

Serve the ribs with the sauce spooned over.

Make Ahead Tips

It’s best to braise short ribs a day (or at least several hours) ahead for a couple of reasons. First, this allows you to chill the sauce so it can be defatted thoroughly. Also, the flavors only get better with time. To reheat, arrange the meat snugly in a baking dish, cover with foil, and put in a 350°F oven. Reheat the sauce on the stovetop.

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Reviews

The braising liquid for this recipe is fantastic and very flavorful. I chose to braise on the stovetop instead of in the oven because I can monitor it more closely. If I make it again I will sear a bit more and use a slightly higher temperature to fully cook off the fat. I used flanken cut because that was all my butcher had, it was still amazingly flavorful. I served it with a puree of mashed potatoes and parsnip as well as a winter root vegetable hash with chicken and apple sausage. I got rave reviews. It was great paired with a rioja wine. We also served a syrah but I think the syrah didn't pair as well.

Thanks a lot, Fine Cooking. A special trip to the butcher, a half hour of prep, three hours in the oven and the whole meal was inhaled by my kids faster than a re-tweet of a Kim naked selfie! Why don't the quick weeknight meals meet with so much enthusiasm?! "Better than the restaurant," said my teenager. Delicious results... will definitely make again (when I have another day to kill).